The book of Matthew

"Early tradition ascribed this gospel to the apostle Matthew, but scholars nowadays almost all reject this view. We still conveniently refer to the author as "Matthew". 'Conveniently' because otherwise every time we made a reference to 'Matthew' we would have to say 'The first book of The New Testament' Chapter so and so, verse so and so. And again and again 'The first book ...' etc."(J. B. Phillips, A prebendary of the Chichester Cathedral, England).

pushed to church

"When you're young you get taken to church by your parents and you get pushed into religion at school. They're trying to put something into your mind. Obviously because nobody goes to church and nobody believes in God. Why? Because they haven't interpreted the Bible as it was intended. I didn't really believe in God as l'd been taught it. It was just like something out of a science fiction novel. You're taught just to have faith, you don't have to worry about it, just believe what we're telling you." (George Harrison)

Christian Laws

The laws which exist in the 'Christian' countries of the West today - the laws governing birth and death, the formation and dissolution of marriage, the rights over property within and outside marriage, or in the event of divorce or death, adoption and guardianship, commerce and industry and all the rest - are not to be found in the Gospels. The laws which define what constitutes criminal behavior and the various penalties for such behavior, are no longer derived from the Bible. Murderers are no longer executed, for example, and adulterers are no longer stoned to death. Some laws, such as those which legalise usury in all its forms, flatly contradict what has in fact always been forbidden by God. Most of these laws are not laws which have been revealed to man by God.

Brain-washed

The human mind can't help reasoning that since the 'begotten son' of an African will look like an African, and that of a China man as a Chinese, and that of an Indian like an Indian: so the begotten son of God aught naturally to look like God. Billions of beautiful pictures and replicas of this 'only begotten son of God' are put in peoples hands. He looks like a European with blonde hair, blue eyes and handsome features like one I saw in the 'King of Kings' or 'The Day of Triumph' or 'Jesus of Nazareth'. Remember Jeffrey Hunter? The 'Savior' of the Christian is more like a German than a Jew with his polly nose. So naturally, if the son is a white man, the father would also be a white man (God?). Hence the darker skinned races of the earth subconsciously have the feeling of inferiority ingrained in their souls as God's 'step children'. No amount of face creams, skin lighteners and hair strengtheners will erase the inferiority.

50,000 errors in the bible

By Ahmad Deedat

The Jehovah’s Witnesses in their “AWAKE!” Magazine dated 8 September, 1957, carried this startling headline “50,000 Errors in The Bible?”.

While I was still formulating the theme of this booklet, I heard a knock at my door one Sunday morning. I opened the door. A European gentleman stood there, grinning broadly. “Good morning’” he said. “Good morning” I replied. He was offering me his “Awake” and “Watchtower” magazines. Yes, a Jehovah’s Witness! If a few had knocked at your door previously, you will recognize them immediately. The most supercilious lot of people who ever knocked at people’s doors! I invited him in.

As soon as he settled down, I produced the full reproduction of what you see below. Pointing to the monograph at the top of the page, I asked, “Is this your’s?” He readily recognised his own. I said, “It says: 50,000 Errors in the Bible, is it true?” “What’s that!” he exclaimed. I repeated, “I said, that it says, that there are 50,000 errors in your Bible.” “Where did you get that?”

He asked. (This was published 53 years ago, when he was perhaps a little nipper) I said, “Leave the fancy talk aside is this your’s?” pointing again to the monograph “Awake!” He said, “Can I have a look?” “Of course,” I said. I handed him the page. He started perusing. They (the Jehovah’s Witnesses) are trained. They attend classes five times a week in their “Kingdom Halls.” Naturally, they are the fittest missionaries among the thousand and one sects and denominations of Christendom. They are taught that when cornered, do not commit yourself to anything, do not open your mouths. Wait for the Holy Ghost to inspire you with what to say.

I silently kept watching him, while he browsed the page. Suddenly he looked up. He had found it. The “Holy Ghost” had tickled him. He began, “The article says that “most of those errors have been eliminated.” I asked “If most are eliminated, how many remain out of 50,000? 5000? 500? 50? Even if 50 remain, do you attribute those errors to God?” He was speechless. He excused himself by suggesting that he will come again with some senior member of his Church. That will be the day!

This “cult” of Jehovah’s Witnesses which is so strong in its condemnation of the orthodox Trinitarians, for playing with the “Word of God,” is itself playing the same game of semantic gymnastics. In the article under review “50,000 Errors In The Bible?” they say: “there are probably 50,000 errors ... errors that have crept into the Bible text ... 50,000 such serious errors... most of those so-called errors... as a whole the Bible is accurate.”

We do not have the time and space to go into the tens of thousands of grave or minor defects that the authors of the Revised Standard Version (RSV) have attempted to revise. We leave that privilege to the Christian scholars of the Bible.

Here I will endeavour to cast just a cursory glance at a “half-a-dozen” or so of those “minor” changes:

1. “Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign: Behold, a Virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.” (Isaiah 7:14 - AV)

The indispensable “Virgin” in the above verse has now been replaced in the RSV with the phrase “a young woman,” which is the correct translation of the Hebrew word Almah. Almah is the word which has occurred all along in the Hebrew text and not bethulah which means Virgin. This correction is only to be found in the English language translation, as the RSV is only published in this tongue. For the African and the Afrikaner, the Arab and the Zulu, in fact, in the 1 500 other languages of the world, Christians are made to continue to swallow the misnomer “Virgin.”

Begotten, not made
“Jesus is the only begotten son of God, begotten not made,” is an adjunct of the orthodox catechism, leaning for support on the following:

2. For God so loved the world, that he gave his only BEGOTTEN son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” (John 3:16 - AV)

No priest worth his cloth would fail to quote “the only Begotten of the Father!” when preaching to a prospective convert. But this fabrication “Begotten” has now been unceremoniously excised by the Bible Revisers, without a word of excuse. They are as silent as church-mice and would not draw the reader’s attention to their furtive excision. This blasphemous word “Begotten” was another of the many such interpolations in the “Holy Bible.” God Almighty condemned this blasphemy in the strongest terms soon after its innovation. He did not wait for 2000 years for Bible scholars to reveal the fraud:

“They say: (God) Most Gracious has begotten a son! Indeed ye have put forth a thing most monstrous! At it the skies are ready to burst, the earth to split asunder, and the mountains to fall down in utter ruin, That they should invoke a son for (God) Most Gracious. For it is not consonant with the majesty of (God) Most Gracious that He should beget a son.” (Quran 19:88-92)

The Muslim World should congratulate the “Fifty cooperating denominations” of Christendom and their Brains Trust the “Thirty-two scholars of the highest eminence” for bringing their Holy Bible a degree nearer to the Quranic truth: “He begetteth not, nor is He begotten;” (Quran 112:3)

“Christian mes-a-mathics”
3. “For there are three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost: and these three are one.” (1st Epistle of John 5:7 – AV)

This verse is the closest approximation to what the Christians call their Holy Trinity in the encyclopaedia called the Bible. This key-stone of the Christian faith has also been scrapped from the RSV without even a semblance of explanation. It has been a pious fraud all along and well-deservedly has it been expunged in the RSV for the English-speaking people.

But for the 1499 remaining language groups of the world who read the Christian concoctions in their mother tongues, the fraud remains. These people will never know the truth until the Day of Judgement. However, we Muslims must again congratulate the galaxy of D.D.’s who have been honest enough to eliminate another lie from the English (RSV) Bible, thus bringing their Holy Book yet another step closer to the teachings of Islam. For the Holy Quran says:

“Say not ‘Trinity’: desist: it will be better for you: for Allah is one Allah”

The ascension
One of the most serious of those “grave defects” which the authors of the RSV had tried to rectify concerned the Ascension of Christ. There have been only two references in the Canonical Gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke and of John to the most stupendous event in Christianity of Jesus being taken up into heaven. These two references were obtained in every Bible in every language, prior to 1952, when the RSV first appeared. These were:

4a. “So then the Lord Jesus, after he had spoken to them, was taken up into heaven, and sat down at the right hand of God.” (Mark 16:19)

4b. “While he blessed them, he parted from them, and was carried up into heaven.” (Luke 24:51)

You will be shocked to note that Mark 16 ends at verse 8, and after an embarrassing expanse of blank space the missing verses appear in “small print” as a footnote at the bottom of the page. If you can lay your hands on a RSV 1952, you will find the last six words of 4b above, i.e. “and was carried up into heaven” replaced by a tiny “a” to tell you to see the footnote if you please, where you will find these missing words. Every honest Christian has to admit that he does not consider any footnote in any Bible as the word of God. Why should the paid servants of Christianity consign the mightiest miracle of their religion to a mere footnote?

From the Chart “The Origin and Growth of the English Bible” appearing below, you will note that all the Biblical “Versions” prior to the Revised Version of 1881 were dependent upon the Ancient copies those dating only five or six hundred years after Jesus. The Revisers of the RSV 1952, were the first Bible scholars who were able to tap the “Most Ancient Copies” fully, dating three and four centuries after Christ.

We agree that the closer to the source the more authentic is the document. Naturally “Most” Ancient deserves credence more than mere “Ancient.” But not finding a word about Jesus being “taken up” or “carried up” into heaven in the Most Ancient manuscripts, the Christian fathers expurgated those references from the RSV 1952.

The donkey circus
The above facts are a staggering confession by Christendom that the “inspired” authors of the Canonical Gospels did not record a single word about the Ascension of Jesus- Yet these “inspired” authors were unanimous in recording that their Lord and Saviour rode a donkey into Jerusalem as his mission drew to a close:

“And they sat him thereon.” (The Donkey). Matt. 21:7

“And he sat upon him.” (The Donkey). Mark 11:7

“And they set Jesus Thereon.” (The Donkey). Luke 19:35

“Jesus ... sat thereon:” (The Donkey). John 12:14

Could God Almighty have been the author of this incongruous situation going out of His Way to see that all the Gospel writers did not miss their footing recording of His “son’s” donkey-ride into the Holy City and yet “inspiring” them to black-out the news about His “son’s” heavenly flight on the wings of angels?

Not for long!
The hot-gospellers and the Bible-thumpers were too slow in catching the Joke. By the time they realised that the corner-stone of their preaching The Ascension Of Jesus had been undermined as a result of Christian Biblical erudition, the publishers of the RSV had already raked in a net profit of 15,000 000 dollars! (Fifteen Million). The propagandists made a big hue and cry, and with the backing of two denominational committees out of the fifty, forced the Publishers to re-incorporate the interpolations into the “Inspired” Word of God in every new publication of the RSV after 1952, the expunged portion was “Restored To The Text.”

It is an old, old game. The Jews and the Christians have been editing their “Book of God” from its very inception. The difference between them and the ancient forgerers is that the ancient forgers did not know the art of writing “prefaces” and “footnotes”, otherwise they too would have told us as clearly as our modern heroes have about their tampering, and their glib excuses for transmuting forged currency into glittering gold.

“many proposals for modification were submitted to the committee by individuals and by two denominational committees all of these were given careful attention by the committee.

“Two passages, the I longer ending of Mark (16:9-20) ... and Luke 24:51 are restored to the text.” (Preface Collins’ pages vi and vii)

“Why ‘restored’”? Because they had been previously expunged! Why had the references to the Ascension expunged in the first place? The most Ancient manuscripts had no references to the Ascension at all. They were interpolations similar to 1 John 5:7 about the Trinity. (Refer to the earlier example 3). Why eliminate one and re-instate the other? Do not be surprised! By the time you lay your hands on a RSV, the “Committee” might also have decided to expunge the whole of their invaluable Preface. The Jehovah’s Witnesses have already eliminated 27 revealing pages of their Foreword to their “New World Translation of the Christian Greek Scriptures,” (this is their way of saying New Testament).

Allah in the Christian Bible
The Rev. C. I. Scofield, D. D. with a team of 8 Consulting Editors, also all D.D.’s in the “Scofield Reference Bible” thought it appropriate to spell the Hebrew word “Elah” (meaning God) alternatively as “Alah” The Christians had thus swallowed the camel they seemed to have accepted at last that the name of God is Allah but were still straining at the gnat by spelling Allah with one “L”!

References were made in public lectures to this fact by the author of this booklet. Believe me, the subsequent “Scofield Reference Bible” has retained word for word the whole commentary of Genesis 1:1, but has, by a clever sleight of hand, blotted out the word “Alah” altogether. There is not even a gap where the word “Alah” once used to be. (See “What Is His Name” for more information on this Biblical omission of the word Allah). This is in the Bible of the orthodox! One is hard pressed to keep up with their Jugglery.

Multimedia

The Trinity

The doctrine of the trinity is so ephemeral and so complex that the average Christian does not even begin to understand the doctrine. If asked to define it, he would probably provide a definition of the trinity, which the church has long since declared to be heresy. (Jerald Dirks)

The Crucifixion

Clearly, the doctrine of or belief in the illusory nature of the crucifixion was perceived by Ignatius to be a threat to what would much later become the orthodox position of the Christian church regarding the crucifixion. As it would take some years for such a belief to become widespread across the vastness of the Roman Empire, it can be deduced that the origin of the doctrine of the illusory nature of the crucifixion must be dated well back into the first century CE, and quite possibly right back to the time of the crucifixion itself.

The Cross

For what reason is the cross considered a holy object in Christianity while simultaneously being the place of Christ's torture – as you believe? Is it not the remembrance of an offense? Is it not a symbol of the crime and its instrument? Furthermore, do you not see that the crucifixion, as connected with Christ has no historical or religious basis to which it can be authentically attributed? And how conceivable is it that for three days the universe could continue without a god (Jesus) in control and maintaining its stability?

shocking survey

In a shocking survey of Anglican bishops in London, it was found that more than half of England’s Anglican bishops say Christians are not obliged to believe that Jesus Christ was God, according to a survey published today. The poll of 31 of England’s 39 bishops shows that many of them think that Christ’s miracles, the virgin birth and the resurrection might not have happened exactly as described in the Bible. Only 11 of the bishops insisted that Christians must regard Christ as both God and man, while 19 said it was sufficient to regard Jesus as “God’s supreme agent”. One declined to give a definite opinion. The poll was carried out by London Weekend Television’s weekly religion show, Credo. 'DAILY NEWS' 25/6/84

Why According to?

Why does every Gospel begin with the introduction According To ... According To ... Why "According to?". Because not a single one of the vaunted four thousand copies extant carries its author's autograph! Hence the supposition "according to!" Even the internal evidence proves that Matthew was not the author of the first Gospel which bears his name.

Standing offer

In essence, it is an easy chance for the Jews to prove that the Quran is false - that it is not a divine revelation. All they have to do is organize themselves, treat the Muslims nicely for a few years and then say, "Now what does your holy book say about who are your best friends in the world - the Jews or the Christians? Look what we Jews have done for you!" That is all they have to do to disprove the Quran's authenticity, yet they have not done it in 1400 years. But, as always, the offer still stands open!

Catholic findings

Recently, the leading intellectual in the Catholic Church - a man by the name of Hans - studied the Quran and gave his opinion of what he had read. This man has been around for some time, and he is highly respected in the Catholic Church, and after careful scrutiny, he reported his findings, concluding, "God has spoken to man through the man, Muhammad." (Hans)

why 66 books!

"The whole Bible contains sixty-six books written by forty different authors over a space of about fifteen centuries." It is clearly said in the book that: Jesus Christ himself wrote nothing about Christianity. "The Gospels do not give a complete history of the life of Christ. They are rather memoirs." ('Founder of Christianity and his Religion' Page 17-18, published by the Christian Literature Society, Madras)

No two are alike

"In copying the inspired originals by hand the element of human frailty entered in, and so none of the thousands of copies extant today in the original language are perfect duplicates. The result is that no two copies are exactly alike." Now you see why the whole "foreword" of 27 pages is eliminated from their Bibles. Allah was making them hang themselves with their own erudition. (Jehovah's Witnesses's bible).

The name Jesus

This unique name has gone out of currency among the Jews and the Christians from the 2nd century after Christ. Among the Jews, because it came to be a name of ill - repute, the name of one who blasphemed in Jewry; and among the Christians because it came to be the proper name of their God. The Muslim will not hesitate to name his son Eesa because it is an honoured name, the name of a righteous servant of the Lord.